


The Quality of Mercy is Not Strained

by canufeelthemagictonight



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU where the Final Four actually act like mature adults, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arguments, Conversations, Drabble, Eventual Happy Ending, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Group Unity, Guilt, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, One Shot, Teamwork, Tears, Voting for Themselves, because canon Joey REALLY dropped the ball on this one, especially Joey, i'm not bitter, since I guess someone's still gotta die in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 00:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20537069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canufeelthemagictonight/pseuds/canufeelthemagictonight
Summary: She can't. This is the final hour. We're supposed to come together. I won't let our team fall apart now!When Colleen's grudge threatens the Final Four's unity, Joey intervenes.An Escape the Night AU.





	The Quality of Mercy is Not Strained

**Author's Note:**

> Leave it to the All Stars to screw up the "let's all vote for ourselves" tradition. Colleen couldn't let go of her grudge, Bretman was too petty, and Joey took at least five steps backward on Redemption Road. Everyone was wrong except for Rosanna, who, of course, was the one who died because of this mess.  
At any rate, let's fix it!

Joey's already composing his typical let's-all-vote-for-ourselves speech in his brain, but before he can propose the idea, his old best friend speaks up instead. "Well," Colleen grumbles bitterly, "I wanna know who voted for me when I died."

"Not _me!"_ declares Rosanna. _"I_ did not! And I wanted you to come back!"

Colleen turns her attention to the Playboy. "Bretman?"

Much to Joey's surprise, Bretman admits it. "I'm sorry, Colleen." He only sounds about fifty percent sorry.

_Shit,_ thinks Joey.

"Okay, well, fair is fair," says Colleen with a shrug. "I know who I'm voting for."

The word _"No!"_ jumps out of Joey's mouth before he can stop himself. _She can't. This is the final hour. We're supposed to come together. I won't let our team fall apart now!_

His outburst confuses Colleen. "No? What are you talking about? Bretman _literally_ killed me a few hours ago!"

"But you're back! Get over it!" Bretman retorts.

Rosanna squirms in her shoes, clearly distressed by this conversation.

"Colleen," Joey sighs, "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be after all the shit you've been through. But revenge won't solve anything. Trust me. I know."

"It's him or me!"

"No. Listen." Joey's angry now. At Colleen, or at himself? He doesn't know. But he needs Colleen to hear what he has to say. "When I put you in the...box of spikes...in Everlock, I thought 'it's her or me. She wants me dead. This is the only way to stay alive.' So I killed you. And I've regretted that decision ever since." He tries not to cry at the mental echoes of Colleen's screams for mercy. "If you vote for Bretman, and he dies tonight, the guilt is gonna eat you up inside. I know, cause I've _lived_ it. And I don't want that for you."

Colleen opens her mouth, then closes it, thunderstruck. She looks like she's a word away from bursting into tears.

"So what do we do, then?" asks Bretman.

Rosanna's small voice trembles. "I don't wanna hurt anyone..."

"I know you don't, Ro." Joey smiles. "None of us do. That's why we should each put our own name into the pile, just like we did in the Arabian exhibit. No backstabbing. No betrayals. Let the cards decide."

"Okay," says Rosanna.

"I'm down," Bretman agrees.

Joey turns to the one person who wasn't there for Arabia. "Colleen?"

The Duchess stands in silence for a few moments, deep in thought, a myriad of feelings parading across her face. Finally, she sets her jaw and nods. "You're right," she whispers. "This is the best way. Easy and fair."

"And no one gets hurt?"

"And no one gets hurt."

"Well, someone still _is_ gonna get hurt," Bretman feels the need to awkwardly remind them. "Dead, actually. Because dinosaurs and shit."

"But at least they'll die knowing we stood by them till the end," is Rosanna's determined reply. 

"Yeah." Joey thinks of Lele Pons, the girl who first suggested this wonderful idea. He's glad that even now, after all these years, he can still properly honor her memory. "Sorceress, we're ready to vote."

**Author's Note:**

> Who gets voted in? Is it still Bret and Ro? Or is it a different matchup? Honestly, it doesn't matter. What matters is that, at least in this version, they're a team.


End file.
